Today is National Puppy Day!

     In honor of the titular fact, (actually coincidentally) we adopted a dog!
     For those of you who don't know, we had to put our previous dog, Mini, down last May. We have been doggieless since. We had the privilege of watching Tucker a couple weekends back, and it really reinforced to all of the Penguins in our house that we are a dog-type family.
     Over the last couple months we had established contact with the Miniature Schnauzer Club of Northern California, looking for a rescue dog to adopt. Yesterday, the 22nd of March we drove to a small town outside Sacramento to meet, and as it turns out, adopt, a wonderful new companion for our family. He is a larger miniature schnauzer, about 22 pounds and 16 inches at the shoulder. It was hard to resist his little bandit face, and the fact that he wanted to jump in the truck right away. We spent a little over an hour getting to know him and the foster home, and took him for a walk to a local park. When we left, the foster mom was very gracious and provided a collar, leash, toys, treats and enough food for a few days. I think she gave us nearly the adoption fee in extras. Thank you Nancy!
     Somewhere there is a family with a couple of children who are heartbroken. This is a wonderful dog. He was found dirty, matted and loose, with a collar but no tag or microchip. He is a quick learner, even if a little confused at the moment. He had been called "Jack" for the last few days while at his foster home, but "Jack" didn't seem to fit him. We debated his name all the way home, and all the way through the PetSmart store while we picked up some greenies (teeth cleaning bones), reward treats, food and water bowls, a comb and a brush. We got him a tag, but still couldn't come up with a name. Boy Wonder kept coming up with bizarre names like "Battery" to which this very smart dog would give him a look that seemed to say, "Absolutely not! I will not be called that!" We were only a couple minutes from the house when we came up with "Buck."  Buck is close enough to Jack that hopefully he can adapt quickly.
     He is a very good dog. He did get out of the house yesterday when one of the neighbors dropped by. He went across the street to say "Hi" to a couple of little girls, then came home with me as soon as he had said "Hi." He walks wonderfully on the leash, visits well with other dogs, and the only time he has barked is when Boy Wonder left the house yesterday. Buck could see him through the window and barked a couple times to try to get Boy Wonder to come back and get him.
     Our biggest issue so far was helping Buck figure out where to sleep last night. He had been sleeping with his Foster People in their bed, and didn't show any interest in the beds at PetSmart, so we didn't buy him one. Last night we tried placing him on Boo's bed, but he didn't seem to want to stay there. He paced up and down the stairs a few times, going to the couches, then coming to our room. He finally jumped up on our bed. I moved him to Boy Wonder's bed, and he stayed there until 3:45 when Boy Wonder made a bathroom trip. I tried to get Buck to go out to the bathroom, but he was having none of that. Buck moved himself to Boo's bed, and stayed there until he was ready to get up this morning. We weren't as quick out of bed as he wanted, so he woke Boo up.
     Buck and we at the Penguin household are quickly adapting to each other. Welcome home, Buck. Welcome Home! Be sure and click on the Title to see pictures of Buck (Jack) in action!